#145 - La Posada in Laredo, TX

Don and I stayed at La Posada in January. We were curious about staying at this hotel, with lots of history AND a view of Mexico.

The History

I love a hotel that has a past. This boutique hotel was built in 1961, around four historical buildings. The 2-story main building sits where the city jail once sat. In 1886 the original building was converted into the old Laredo High School.  

The New School

In 1916 the building was torn down and a new school was built.  Now, the "new school" houses the main entrance, the lobby, restaurant, bar, ballroom and offices.
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Finding the Hotel
We heard it would be tricky getting to the hotel... and it was.

Being a border town, we were warned to make the correct exit or we'd end up heading over the bridge to Mexico. It was indeed nerve-wracking. We worried and exited too soon, then eventually GPS lead us directly to the hotel's garage entrance. It looked a little sketchy down there. A garage guard checked our name on a list and moved the cones. After parking, I peered through the decorative wall and saw the bridge to Mexico, that we almost crossed.

Leaving... No Easier

This is the scene we met after exiting the hotel the next morning. After turning onto the wrong street, we became trapped. It was too narrow to turn around, so I had to hop out and move the orange blocks.

Surrounding the Hotel

Behind the hotel was the Rio Grande and border. The historic San Augustine Plaza was just outside the front entrance. The lively square, with band stand and statues and traditional Mexican music, made us feel like we'd actually taken that bridge right over to Mexico. The sound of the cathedral bells chiming and voices speaking Spanish, made me forget we were still in the U.S. 

The Tack Room

Also right across the brick road from the plaza, was The Tack Room Steak House. This elegant home from the 1800's was one of the four historic buildings that made up the hotel. We were disappointed to learn the well known restaurant was closed that evening. 
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The Lobby

From the front doors of La Posada, the lobby was down a few steps.  Between the 2 sets of stairs I noticed an interesting image in the Italian marble floors.  The Spanish Doubloon coin is evidently the symbol used for the hotel. The black and white ballgown was just one of many costumes on display.

Washington's Birthday

It was January, but the hotel was already gearing up for the month long celebration of George Washington's birthday. Laredo has been celebrating the President's birthday with parades and balls and costumes, since the late 19th century. I especially loved the child's gown with the image of Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo.

Ghosts in the Garden

Supposedly there are ghosts that roam the hotel.  One part of the hotel had once been a convent and supposedly there is at least one nun ghost on the grounds.  We didn't see ghosts in black and white habits, but we saw lots of white, ghostly figures in the gardens and near the pool. There had been a recent freeze and the bushes were still wrapped in sheets.
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The Main Pool
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This pool view shows the 2-story hotel that was built in 1961.  Architect, Tom Herring incorporated the old school and a few other buildings. Mr. Herring has used historic buildings in a number of hotel constructions in Texas. 

More Exploring

Don and I explored the "compound" trying to figure out what was historic and what was added in the '60's.  We passed the patio, outside the hotel's Zaragoza Grill restaurant.

Another Pool?

We found another area of the hotel, with a pool and overgrown trees and bushes.  The wind was blowing eerily and I could picture a nun scurrying by. It didn't look like this part of the hotel was in use.

Finding Our Room

The hotel had a maze-like feel, but we finally got it figured out. Our hall was fairly quiet, but maybe that's because the area we requested was not the top choice for other guests.

Our Room

This photo shows just part of the spacious entry with bar area.   

The sitting area had room to spread out. The brick wall kept things very quiet. Don was drawn right away to the balcony... with the view.

Bedroom and Baths

The bedroom also had a brick wall and beamed ceilings. The decor was a little worn, but all was clean and the price was so reasonable, I again thought I was in Mexico. Two bathrooms, bedroom, living room and bar area, for around $100. 

The View

And here is the view we had requested.  We could have faced the pool and palms, but how often do you have a balcony looking across the  Rio to Mexico.

It was pretty odd, I must admit.  We watched the pedestrian bridge at 5:00.  The line-up of people returning to the U.S at 5:00, nearly covered the length of the bridge. Many seemed to be sent down a caged-in walkway that lead to the building right beneath our room. Yep, we sat on our balcony and had drinks, watching the canine dogs and border patrol and the unhappy folks being detained below.

Mexico

This is a close up of the bridge in the morning, with lighter traffic.  It was odd to look at the river and see the U.S. side with no obvious wall.  Our stay was on January 8, 2017, before the inauguration.  There was a lot to ponder as we studied the pedestrian bridge, as well as the bridge that we almost drove over earlier.  There seemed to be a traffic jam coming into the U.S., that never eased up.

Evening

After watching the sunset over our odd view, we headed to the hotel's bar and restaurant within the "old school". The restaurant was quiet at first.

Cheers

Our bartender was a little frazzled with a large crowd at the bar, watching whatever big game was playing on January 8.  Don and I wore our western jewelry and toasted to the history. Sadly there was no one at the bar to share this interesting experience with. They were all focused on the TV.  We moved to the dining room and had a decent, but not memorable dinner.

What's Notable?

The most memorable part of our stay was sitting on our balcony, trying to figure out what the connection was between the cities on both sides of the Rio Grande. I so wish we could have stepped back in time to 1961, when American tourists flocked to the new hotel and enjoyed festive excursions across the border to buy sombreros and vanilla and maracas! What a different time. No one back then was anticipating the building of a big wall!

I wish we'd had better communication with staff or locals or even travelers.  There were some locals in the bar and some business travelers who didn't seem to care about where they were.  Some good people encounters would have helped complete our overnight adventure!